Coral Beach Estate, an upmarket residential estate based in East London, has been struggling with load shedding and power outages due to South Africa’s energy crisis as well as the vandalism of their power infrastructure. Some outages have lasted over eight hours, causing major disruptions to the residents’ lives. IMPOWER has responded to this crisis by developing a unique off-grid power solution through a bespoke 20-year “Power Purchase Agreement” model, which allows the Homeowners Association to pay for the power on a pay-as-you-use basis with zero upfront cost to them. . The solution has been developed, engineered, and is currently under construction by IMPOWER.
The solar solution will have a capacity of 388 kWp, while the battery energy storage solution (BESS) will have a capacity of 1,458 MWh. The energy system includes a unique axis tracker system allowing the solar panels to follow the sun’s daily arc, maximizing yield per square meter of land used.
This unique off-grid power solution will provide power independence for The Coral Beach Estate, effectively eradicating load shedding. The cost of the solar and battery power will match that of Eskom in the first year, however, its annual escalation rate will be well below the NERSA increases. Jay Naidoo, CEO of IMPOWER had this to say about the project, “We believe that this is the perfect solution to the energy crisis faced by many, as it addresses all the typically insurmountable problems, namely, high project capex/investment costs, development and engineering risks/complexities, power unavailability, and the high-ever increasing cost of energy.
Construction of the project began in the first week of January 2023 and is expected to be completed and commissioned by the end of June 2023. This means that residents of Coral Beach Estate will soon enjoy power independence via a renewable energy source, enabling them to take full advantage of the coast with fishing, swimming, beach runs, and paddling, thanks to the sea and sand right at their doorstep. Charles Pittaway Snr, the Chairman of the Coral Beach Homeowners Association had this to say, “We are delighted to know that our estate will soon be load shedding free, our residents will soon be enjoying the benefits of solar and battery power. We are proud to be part of this initiative, it places The Coral Beach Estate at the forefront of the energy independence transition.”
Coral Beach Estate is an ideal place for you and your family to live, offering safe and luxurious living with beautiful ocean views, land, and seascapes. The estate has a fully electric fenced perimeter to ensure safety and security for all residents, making it an ideal environment for children to play and explore. It is also a safe place to walk about freely, providing peace of mind for parents. Coral Beach Estate is ideally situated right on the beach-front, perched on a hilltop overlooking the warm Indian Ocean, only 10 minutes from the centre of East London and just 5 minutes from East London airport.
IMPOWER is proud to be at the forefront of providing innovative, industry leading, sustainable energy solutions to help tackle South Africa’s energy crisis. With this project, we are excited to offer Coral Beach Estate a unique, off-grid power solution that will provide reliable, uninterrupted power for the next 20 years. We believe that our solar and battery power solution is the answer to the high project capex/investment costs, project risks/complexities, power unavailability, and the ever-increasing cost of energy faced by many South Africans. As a company committed to elevating energy poverty in Africa, we are dedicated to providing tailored solar and energy storage solutions that match your expectations and are built to last. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help power your world!
For more information about IMPOWER, please contact:
Jay Naidoo
CEO | Info@impower.solar
